Malawi’s former president, Peter Mutharika, takes an early lead against incumbent, Lazarus Chakwera

Malawi’s former president Peter Mutharika has taken an early lead in this week’s election, according to provisional results.

In his face off against incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, Mutharika has roughly 51 percent of votes cast in a quarter of the nation’s councils, compared to 39 percent for Chakwera, Reuters reported on Sunday.

Election observers had predicted that the September 16 vote would be a two-horse race between Mutharika and…